[ATM] We Must Inspire Newbies

["Russell Jocoy" <russjocoy@hotmail.com>]

To all on the list,    I have been a member of this list since "I" was a 
"newbie". My inspiration and
drive to undertake the making of my "own made" telescope began here on this 
list. I  already owned a Meade Cassigrain LX-50  8".   The idea of making 
your own telescope mirror by hand just sucked
me into the "deep and interesting" realm of mirror making.
        My first attempt's were unconventional... A 10 inch by 25 inch glass 
shelf made of plate glass,
  5/8" thick.  I cut two disk's out.. One 9" and one 10".. I cut these to 
round with a "skill saw" with a diamond blade and lots of water.. Then I 
actually dug the ROC (radius of curve) (for you newbies)
with an angle grinder..   With luck and the stars looking over my process , 
I produced two blanks
with very nice "sphere's" on their surfaces by manual processes.  I never 
got futher than that.....
.... A brick wall hit me in the face... well it was really a "Glass" 
wall.... Whether it be fate or "luck"
the wall fell into my lap..  I was faced with more plate glass, and more 
Pyrex glass in chunk's and
sheets that not only were overwhelming to move but even more overwhelming to 
cut.
      It has been two and a half years, ... I am still cutting glass (not 
figuring) , cutting.  I guess
  I have found my groove in the glass. I have supplied many disk's to 
"newbies" in the past 2 and a half years at near zero profit to me.,  I will 
continue until I have cut every possible piece I can into a disk that may 
possibly become a telescope mirror..  Don't get me wrong I "break even " 
with my cost
but I long for the disk that says " figure me"... It will come and I will do 
it.   I would like to thank
Mike Lockwood for putting a final figure onto a very thin 9 inch mirror and 
a very thin 13 inch plate.
         Russ Jocoy.................I will be a Newbie when the time comes 
for the PAROB.....

    PS   If you are new to the list, please don"t be afraid to ask stupid 
questions, the old ones on
the list do it all the time, they just forget they ask them before........ 
Ha Ha...Where the hell are
you Richard Swartz, is there anybody out there???


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